Mass spectrometers for detecting components of a sample substance are known. Various forms of research have been conducted with regard to methods for identifying a sample substance by analyzing a mass spectrum output by the mass spectrometer.
LC-MS (Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometer) and GC-MS (Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer) are generally used to separate a sample mixture into components through LC (liquid chromatography) or GC (gas chromatography) and obtain a mass spectrum of a single component through MS (mass spectrometry).
A mass spectrum of a single component may be compared with reference mass spectra that are pre-registered in a database, and by finding a matching spectrum from the database, a sample substance may be identified with relative ease.
Patent Document 1 discloses a chromatograph mass spectrometer that introduces a sample substance to a MS unit to acquire a mass spectrum and adjusts various types of parameters of the MS unit based on a target reference spectrum for the sample substance that is provided beforehand.
Non-Patent Literature Document 1 discloses a technique for identifying a sample substance by comparing a mass spectrum with reference spectra pre-registered in a database and finding a matching spectrum from the database.